MvM Tour Progression & Rewards — Team Fortress 2 Guide

Master Mann vs. Machine (MvM) in Team Fortress 2. Learn Tour progression, understand robot waves, and secure valuable rewards like Australium weapons.

Venturing into the world of Mann vs. Machine (MvM) offers a unique cooperative experience in Team Fortress 2, distinct from the typical PvP chaos. Beyond the thrill of robot destruction, MvM Tours provide structured progression and lucrative rewards. Understanding how these Tours work is crucial for maximizing your robot-slaying efforts and securing those coveted loot drops.

Understanding MvM Tours

MvM Tours are a series of missions that players undertake. Each Tour consists of several individual missions, often varying in difficulty and map. To participate in an official MvM Tour, you'll need a Tour of Duty Ticket for each mission you play. These tickets are consumed upon successful completion of a mission. You can purchase Tour of Duty Tickets from the Mann Co. Store or trade for them with other players.

There are several distinct Tours, each offering different challenges and reward pools:

• Operation Steel Trap: The original MvM Tour, featuring missions on maps like Decoy, Coal Town, and Mannworks. Generally considered a good starting point for new MvM players due to its more straightforward robot waves.
• Operation Oil Spill: Introduces more complex robot compositions and maps such as Decoy, Coal Town, and Mannworks with different mission layouts.
• Operation Gear Grinder: Known for its increased difficulty and unique robot types. Features missions on Mannhattan and Rottenburg. This Tour often requires more coordinated team play and advanced class strategies.
• Operation Two Cities: A highly popular Tour that offers some of the most sought-after rewards. Missions are played on Mannhattan and Rottenburg. This Tour introduces the "Bomb Reset" mechanic and a greater emphasis on Medic's "Shield" upgrade.
• Operation Mecha Engine: Features robotic versions of the MvM boss robots and unique challenges. Missions are on Bigrock, Decoy, and Caravan.

Tour Progression: Step-by-Step

To successfully complete an MvM Tour and earn your rewards, follow these steps:

1. Acquire Tour of Duty Tickets: Ensure you have enough Tour of Duty Tickets for the missions you intend to play. Each mission requires one ticket.
2. Select Your Tour: From the MvM menu, choose the specific Tour you wish to complete. The game will display the missions within that Tour.
3. Complete Missions: Play and successfully complete each mission within the selected Tour. You can play missions in any order, but you must complete all of them to finish the Tour.
4. Monitor Your Progress: The MvM menu clearly shows your progress within a Tour, indicating which missions you've completed and which remain.
5. Tour Completion: Once all missions in a Tour are successfully finished, the Tour is marked as complete.

Important Note: If you fail a mission, your Tour of Duty Ticket is NOT consumed. It is only consumed upon a successful mission completion.

Rewards: What You Get for Your Hard Work

MvM offers two primary types of rewards:

1. Mission Completion Rewards (Every Mission)

Upon successfully completing any MvM mission (regardless of whether it's part of a Tour or not), you will receive:

• Random Weapon Drops: These are standard weapon drops, identical to those you'd receive in casual play.
• Piles of Cash: The in-game currency used to purchase upgrades during missions. This is not a persistent reward but rather what you collect during the mission itself.

2. Tour Completion Rewards (Once per Tour Completion)

These are the highly anticipated rewards that make MvM Tours so appealing. Upon completing an entire Tour, you will receive a special item drop. The type and quality of these drops vary significantly by Tour:

• Basic Tours (Steel Trap, Oil Spill, Gear Grinder, Mecha Engine):
  • Botkiller Weapons: These are unique, cosmetic weapons with a robot head attached. They come in various qualities (e.g., Rust, Blood, Carbonado, Diamond) and are highly sought after for their distinct look. The specific Botkiller weapon you receive is random.
  • Fabricators: These are crafting recipes that require specific items (often other MvM loot or standard weapons) to create specialized items like Killstreak Kits.
• Operation Two Cities: This Tour offers the most valuable and unique rewards, making it a popular choice for experienced players.
  • Killstreak Kit Fabricators: These are recipes for crafting Basic Killstreak Kits, Specialized Killstreak Kits, and Professional Killstreak Kits. These kits, when applied to weapons, track killstreaks and add cosmetic effects. Professional Killstreak Kits are particularly valuable due to their unique eye-glow effects.
  • Australium Weapons: Extremely rare, golden-plated versions of popular weapons. These are the ultimate MvM prize and can fetch a high price on the community market. Examples include the Australium Rocket Launcher, Australium Scattergun, and Australium Medigun. The chance of an Australium drop is very low, making them incredibly desirable.
  • Robot Parts: Used in crafting various MvM-themed items and Killstreak Kits.

The rarity of high-tier rewards like Australium weapons is extremely low, often requiring many Tour completions. Many players will repeatedly complete the Operation Two Cities Tour due to the potential for these high-value drops and the consistent supply of Killstreak Kit Fabricators. While the initial investment in Tour of Duty Tickets might seem steep, the potential for lucrative rewards makes MvM a compelling endgame activity for many TF2 players.